Rear Beam Rebuild Help

[M_R_205 5 1 Cars]

Started to rebuild my rear beam tonight using the guide in the articles section (which is very good!) and i managed to get the ARB off and when coming to remove the torsion bars i managed to round off the little torx bolt, any ideas what i should do?? or is it a case of get the drill out and re tap it....

 

Looks like this:

Not a very good image but at least you all know what bolt im on about

 

Thanks

Paul

Edited January 20, 2008 by M_R_205

[sonofsam 5]

http://forum.205gtidrivers.com/index.php?s...mp;hl=torx+bolt

 

I usaully knock mine around the outer edges of the bolt with a very sharp punch and a small hammer,,.. tap tap tap till you can feel it coming loose, go easy though and it should free up also soaking it overnight in wd40/plusgas should help

[M_R_205 5 1 Cars]

Ah thatnks for that, its like reading my post all over again... i did try a search but the results were a little random :S

[ifcho 0]

I drilled these out and used some extractors bits

[welshpug 1,621]

last one that didn't budge I just drilled the head off and the thread would out by hand.

[Jrod 7]

I've never had problems with these, maybe I've just been lucky but you have to be careful.

 

I always pick all the rust/dirt out of them so the torx will go in all the way, a nice helping of oil then whip em out with an impact gun.

[M_R_205 5 1 Cars]

Thanks for that, i managed to get them out with a sharp punch and a hammer,

 

but now i have a new problem

 

 

after a fair bit whacking with a large hammer the torsion bar released and the trailing arm came loose, but left the stub axle in the beam!! now i bought it knowing it was seized but i though it would just beat out, fit a new stub axle, a bit of powder coating and bosh, jobs a good`un, clearly not the case

 

What do you lot think??

 

EDIT, iv alredy tryed removing it by heating the hell out of it, so much so the thin metal around the ruber seal all started to distort!!

Edited January 20, 2008 by M_R_205

[Flix 0]

I've just had this same problem. Tried heating it with a burning gun, got it red hot and wouldn't budge.

Got it out at work using a 50 ton press.

[M_R_205 5 1 Cars]

I've just had this same problem. Tried heating it with a burning gun, got it red hot and wouldn't budge.

Got it out at work using a 50 ton press.

 

Hmm unfortunatley im lacking the 50 tonn press What sort of state was the stubb axle in when you got it out, usable of f***ed?

[welshpug 1,621]

ohhh yes it'll be royally fooked!

 

if the seal carrier has started distorting though it means that it is moving, thing is if you keep smacking it in that direction itll get stuck, you need to bash it the other way (i.e out)

 

if you have no luck try and find an engineering works/forge, a forge helped me out with my first beam rebuild

[Jrod 7]

You may find that the actual beam tube is scrap aswell as it can oval them before it siezes.

[M_R_205 5 1 Cars]

the seal carrier started distorting off theheat, its odd as the other side is like new :s, im going to steep it in pluss gas over night and try again tomorrow

[Flix 0]

Hmm unfortunatley im lacking the 50 tonn press What sort of state was the stubb axle in when you got it out, usable of f***ed?

 

It was totally f***ed. I had another beam that the bearings had collapsed so I just stripped the siezed one to salvage any parts.

Only managed to save the nearside shaft and arm.

[M_R_205 5 1 Cars]

well plus gas got this one to move, iv just been bashing the stub axle off the ground, so further into the beam, but its shifted a good 10mm, iv left it soaking in more plus gass over night and il do it the oposite way in the morning,

[joe1joe 3]

the tube are around 80 pound from pug as urs will be screwed, never seen one that bad! u may be better of tring to hit it out from the other end?

[M_R_205 5 1 Cars]

 

And there we have it, after 20 mins of bashing it on the floor with a scafy bar stuck up the midlt of the beam, it came out,

 

Now what im thinking to save me money ( yes im a tight git! ) do you think i could clean up the surfaces on my lathe? id only need to take off say .2 mm`s, would this be ok? or would the bearings rattle round on it??,

Edited January 22, 2008 by M_R_205

[Anthony 1,000]

That shaft is knackered, and I'd be suprised if the tube is still serviceable. You could lathe it, but I'd expect the bearings to fail prematurely, assuming you could keep the shaft diameter correct.

 

Cheapest option is to find a serviceable beam (late base models are the best bet) in the scrappy and get a shaft (and probably tube) from there. Tube has to be a 205 one, but the shaft you can get from any 205, 309, ZX, 306, or Xsara beam.

[M_R_205 5 1 Cars]

Its a 309 beam, im asuming a 205 beam is shorter? will the stub axle be the same on all cars??

 

iv just tryed the axle on the lathe and even after taking 0.3mm off theres still some big pits, woth a shot though!

 

the beam is still round bit the seized side is a bit minging, would i be able to shotblast it to clean it up or does it need to be smooth to fit the bearings, i cant imagine it does as they sit on a race....

[Anthony 1,000]

Its a 309 beam, im asuming a 205 beam is shorter? will the stub axle be the same on all cars??

Sorry, you need a 309 tube then

 

The trailing arm shaft is basically the same on all the models listed - just be careful on base model 205's and 309's, as some of them have a shaft that has a smaller internal diameter that won't accept an ARB endplate.

 

Stub axle is the shaft that the wheel bearing runs on, which I don't think is what you mean. They're different between disk and drum braked axles

[welshpug 1,621]

what I have heard a Citroen specialist doing is re-building the material up by laying some weld on the affected area, and turning them back down as you have been doing.

 

The main concern however is that the area that the bearing sits in its undamaged, and if you haven't got the bearings already I'd fit Phosphor bronze bushes from 205 Parts.

[M_R_205 5 1 Cars]

Stub axle is the shaft that the wheel bearing runs on, which I don't think is what you mean. They're different between disk and drum braked axles

 

Ahh sorry iv been calling the trailing arm shaft the stub axle,

[returnofjim 0]

Ahh sorry iv been calling the trailing arm shaft the stub axle,

 

GSF used to do genuine trailing arm shafts for 205/309/306 for about 35 quid! not sure if they still do but its worth giving them a try. As for the main tube that will be in bad shape by the looks of that trailing arm shaft, any 309 main tube will do as long as you have good trailing arms and gti torsion bars.

[M_R_205 5 1 Cars]

Ahh thanks for that, iv just had a quick look and

 

T42604 REAR ARM 205 REAR X MEMBER INNER TUBE 39.00 Add

 

Looks like it,

 

Can anyone confirm??

 

Paul

[welshpug 1,621]

that's it I believe, they did re-stock these earlier last year apparently as Black_Mi16 bought some IIRC, definitely worth a try.

[stutto 0]

I am due to pick up a trailing arm from GSF tomorrow, so I hope that it is not a wind up!